It was a tragic day for the Seattle Mariners organization on November 21st, 2011 as Greg Halman got stabbed to death by his own brother, Jason. It happened in an apartment in Rotterdam after an argument and today the Dutch court came back with a decision that didn’t make much sense and instead of a prison sentence for his heinous crime he will now be able to walk free after being acquitted.

The rationale from the court “he was in a state of psychosis at the time of the stabbing” which means at the time of the stabbing he wasn’t accountable for his actions.

Even more curious was the belief of the court that said, “there is only a remote chance of any reoccurrence; it is well possible that the psychosis has been a singular event.”

At the time of Greg’s murder he had appeared in 44 games in parts of two seasons with the Mariners. He hit .207 with 20 hits, two doubles, a triple, five stolen bases, two home runs, six RBI and a OBP of .256.

He ranked among the top outfield prospects in MLB in 2009 and that came after he split time between High A ball and Double A ball in 2008. Between the two leagues he hit .274, with 138 hits, 32 doubles, five triples, 32 stolen bases, 29 home runs, 85 RBI and had a .327 OBP.

In the World Baseball Classic in 2009, he played for the Netherlands.

When spring training began, Greg’s good friend Mike Carp made t-shirts in his honor. On it a quote from Jackie Robinson that states, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

Carp said at the time, “It’s just a reminder to not take life for granted. Value it. Appreciate it. It’s just something guys can have in their lockers all year and keep him with us.”

Now those t-shirts are a reminder of not taking life for granted and that there was no justice handed out after being murdered.

Even more tragic than his death is that there isn’t any punishment for the person responsible for his death. The rationale used to acquit his brother is beyond ridiculous and it’s definitely hard to fathom that what happened was a one time event. One can only hope that it was as there’s no guarantee that it won’t happen again.

Today should mark the day that the Netherlands makes necessary changes so murderers can’t walk free so easily.